19/11/2010

Top Tips to make the most of wedding exhibitions

Going to the wedding exhibition last weekend made me think how confusing it must be for a bride to be, some where their with the whole khandaan (family) other with their fiancés and some with friends, some even browsing on there own, but all with one thing in common, hands full of bags and flyer's.One things for sure if your not organised then going will not help much, you'll meet so many people and may come away even more confused than when you went in, but with a little planning going to an exhibition can be the most useful and resourceful thing you'll do, especially considering so many vendors are all under one roof! so i refer you to the article below wrote by Nazma @ Asian Fashion Blog.

Fashions Shows are a must at a wedding exhibitions

It’s that time of year again, wedding exhibitions and shows are happening every weekend up and down the country. Should you attend them all? Are they worth the entry free? There’s no right or wrong answer…some of them are good, some are bad but from personal experience, I went to at least 5 wedding exhibitions the year I got married and I’m glad I did. Here are my top tips for getting the most out of these shows:

1. Don’t take the whole world with you!

If you’re serious about planning your wedding and finding some suppliers then you need to be selective in who you take with you. I’d say limit your group to 4 or 5 people maximum, because any more than that and the group will restrict your browsing and probably get in the way of all the other attendees. If you absolutely must take the whole family and all of your friends, split up when you’re checking out the exhibitors so you can talk to suppliers without your posse standing around looking bored!

2. Have a rough idea of what you’re looking for before you go.

Are you looking for a venue? A dress? A make-up artist? Has your rich uncle already agreed to let you use his Bentley? Knowing what you need will help you decide which stands to check out, plus if you know that you’ve already got something sorted then there’s no need to waste time by browsing exhibitors who offer that service or product (unless of course you want to take a look anyway!)

3. Be patient

Some exhibition stands will be busier than others, at the Asiana Show in Birmingham this year there was hardly any room to move at the Parisa Accessories stand because people were buying all their sparkly products! If you like the look of something it’s worth the wait to talk to them, even if you have to go for a walk and then come back.

4. Don’t be shy – ask lots of questions and show an interest

After you’ve waited patiently to speak to someone, or even if you didn’t have to wait, don’t be shy! Tell them what you’re looking for, ask them their prices, availability, locations covered and if you like their product/service then say so. In order to get people to make a booking, a lot of the exhibitors offer discounts or offers to people they speak to on the day so show an interest and you might get something in return. This is how I got a 10% off voucher from Arinder Bhullar for my wedding outfit, and more recently at the Asiana Birmingham show one of the exhibitors was promoting an upcoming wedding exhibition in Manchester, I was speaking to them and mentioned I was planning to go and he gave me two complimentary tickets! I saved myself £15 there

5. Make notes

Take a pen and paper with you. You will undoubtedly be given millions of leaflets and flyers but these won’t necessarily tell you all info you’ve gathered from talking to people…and after a long day of looking at loads of wedding stuff it can be hard to remember who you spoke to and what they said. Making a few notes will help you remember who designed that amazing dress you saw in the 3rd part of the catwalk show, or which florist made those centre-pieces that you fell in love with and must have!

6. Don’t be disheartened if you don’t find what you want

All of the exhibitors at the shows are in the wedding business, and most of them will have a lot of contacts. So if you can’t find the extremely rare hire car you want, or the portable indoor water feature you’ve always dreamed of for your wedding, ask around because the chances are somebody there will know a supplier who can get it for you.